“President Obama keeps referring to this in law enforcement terms”, said James Woolsey, who served under President Bill Clinton “and frankly, I think that’s ridiculous”.
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A day prior to the Paris attacks that killed 129 and left 352 wounded, Iraqi intelligence sent a warning to the United States-led group fighting against ISIS of an attack by the terrorist organization, according to the Associated Press. [Obama] is saying ISIS is contained.
In a Monday radio interview, newly-elected House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) said he’s asked the White House to provide lawmakers with classified briefings in the aftermath of the Paris shootings.
Despite their concerns, several Democrats said they understand Obama’s frustration. “So, what we’re seeing, in my opinion, is the outcome of the president’s continued reluctance to take this threat fully and seriously”, Ryan said on Bill Bennett’s “Morning in America” program. “That’s why I subscribe to the slow-squeeze”. Doing it slowly allows diplomats to work out political resolutions. The officials said it was “a lot” of ammunition, but did not give specifics.
“In order to undermine their appeal, we have to undermine the perception of momentum, and we have failed in that regard”.
But the November 13 terrorist attack on Paris changed that agenda, and President Barack Obama pledged today to redouble efforts against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. He reaffirmed the notion that he will not escalate the military force, but will intensify his already concerted efforts in the region, saying “We have the right strategy, and we’re going to see it through”. He said most of his critics are simply “talking as if they’re tough” and offering no real ideas.
The US-led coalition’s year-long bombing campaign in Syria has been complicated by Russia’s entry into the four-year conflict on the side of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, while Iran is also an active backer of the Syrian regime.
He was also dismissive of those who “seem to think that if I were just more bellicose in expressing what we’re doing, that would make a difference”. “They have not gained ground in Iraq, and in Syria they’ll come in, they’ll leave, but you don’t see this systemic march by ISIL across the terrain”. He commented as to not wanting to send more into harm’s way.
Kasich said Obama needs to go to Europe and convene meetings with allies to work on intelligence operations and “develop plans for joint military action to destroy ISIS”.
“The overwhelming majority of victims of terrorism … are Muslims”, Obama added later.
Phyllis Bennis, the director of the New Internationalism Project at the Institute for Policy Studies, just wrote a book about ISIS.
He has called for increasing the number special ops forces – fewer than 50 have been deployed to Syria to advise and assist in combating ISIS. It was their first conversation since Friday’s terrorist attacks in Paris and a weekend agreement between the two governments on trying to forge a diplomatic resolution of Syria’s civil war.
It begins with the Hippocratic oath that physicians take before they start treating people: Do no harm.
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On Capitol Hill, reaction among top congressional leaders has been more cautious as they seek to learn more about the attacks and what they mean about the Islamic State’s capabilities. “The only debate is over ground strikes”.
